Clemson coach Dabo Swinney offers initial thoughts on facing South Carolina
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney expects to see a different South Carolina team from the one the Tigers trounced 56-7 last year when Clemson travels to Columbia to face the Gamecocks on Saturday.
Swinney said Clemson’s coaching staff still has plenty of film to watch as it prepares to face USC, but the Tigers have been impressed by what they’ve seen thus far.
“Excited about this week, moving onto a game we all look forward to every single year. We all know it’s important to a lot of people, and I really enjoy being a part of it,” Swinney said during his Sunday teleconference. “South Carolina’s been a heck of a team; they’ve had a great year. It’s always a tough place to play, but really looking forward to having a great week of preparation and trying to find a way to win the game.”
The Gamecocks enter the week 8-3 after defeating Wofford this past Saturday and finished 5-3 in the SEC, good for second place in the SEC East.
Perhaps the biggest reason for South Carolina’s success has been its ability to create turnovers.
USC leads the SEC in turnovers forced with 21 and is second in turnover margin at plus nine, which is behind only Alabama at plus 12.
Swinney has been impressed by the job Will Muschamp and his staff have done with South Carolina’s defense.
“They’re very aggressive. … I think he’s done a good job of knowing his team and putting them in a position to be successful. That’s probably the biggest thing,” Swinney said. “And they have an aggressive mentality. They’re going to challenge you. … This is a team that has created a bunch of turnovers. I think that’s a credit to them knowing what they’re doing. They’re not making a lot of mistakes. … They’re taking advantage of opportunities when they present themselves.”
The Gamecocks also have gotten strong quarterback play as Jake Bentley ranks fourth in the SEC in passing, averaging 221 yards per game.
The sophomore has passed for 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 63 percent of his passes.
“They’re just playing really good team ball. They’re playing well on defense. I think they’ve created a lot of turnovers this year. … The quarterback has played well for them, and they’ve made some plays on special teams,” Swinney said. “They’re finding ways to win games, and that’s what good teams do. They’re an 8-3 team, and they’ve earned it.”
Swinney added that playing at Williams-Brice Stadium will be tough, but he is hopeful that his team’s experience in big road games will pay off.
Clemson already has earned wins at Virginia Tech and Louisville in 2017.
“It’s another tough road environment. This is Game 12. If you’re going to have a good season, you’ve got to be able to go on the road and win. Our guys have done a heck of a job of that,” Swinney said. “When you go on the road, there’s just another level of focus that you’ve got to bring because there’s obviously a lot of energy against you and things like that. But that’s what makes it fun. It’s great to go and play in environments like that. We all know the emotion that’s tied to this game, and this is one of the best weeks of the year. It’s fun to be a part of it.”
This story was originally published November 19, 2017 at 7:53 PM.